I have heard that gallery walls have been “out” for a while now – from designers, flavormakers and even friends who are not even all in the decoration. I say the following: impersonal gallery walls, safe. But a salon arrangement with variety that means something to its owner? This type of gallery will never be great.
I am definitely a person who is more when it comes to art. So I don't put the gallery clusters on the gallery walls or their tight cousins, soon. If you feel that your gallery wall is stale a little, I hear it. That's why I borrow an idea from a chic museum to refresh mine.
During the summer I hiked to a small gallery in the newly opened Frick collection, and there I met my latest art struts: portrait medals and intaglios.
What is the difference between portrait medals and intaglios?
According to the gallery descriptions in the Frick, the portrait medals come in Italy at least in the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy, where they were used during the renaissance to commemorate life, wealth and the influence of people. As a rule, stone, wood or metal are essentially tiny sculpture biography hybrids. They usually showed the similarity of a specific person on one side and a list of their successes, qualities or important events in their lives on the back. Inspired by Roman coins, these pieces showed the influence of the classics on the Renaissance Society and Art.
A few hundred years to the 17th to 19th centuries, and a similar kind of works of art achieved popularity: the plaster Inaglio. Similarly inspired by classic motifs and created to get going with European travelers who want to commemorate their travels, Inaglios were sold as souvenirs. Although they were not the similarities of the collectors, they were a kind of personal emblems. They were collected to demonstrate things to demonstrate things that are far traveled. Many showed mythological and historical figures in profile – just like portrait medals.
Why do portrait medals and intaglios gain increasingly popular today?
It is far more likely that you will find a GIPS-INAGLIO as a age of old, museum-worthy heirloom, but you can definitely find this art style on the used market. Now there are also pieces that are inspired by these historical genres, even with more and more retailers. This is probably due to the fact that you can add small and light to a wall as a decoration-you are not super expensive (you can find them for less than $ 100, especially for new and mass production if you have a limited budget).
Traditional design also seems to be too boom again, and that means everything that tends to roots in classical art and architecture. Intaglios are also ideal for the introduction of variety to a gallery wall, since they offer a little dimension and charm wherever they put them where we started.
How to get the look
I have recently found a pretty couple intaglios on a Paris flea market, but they don't have to book a flight to reach this trend. I found a handful of new versions on the market, and each of them would be guaranteed to build a tired gallery.
At Portrait Medals Roundup September 2025
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Statuette plaster framed Inaglio Gallery Wall Charm Statuette plaster framed Inaglio Gallery Wall Charm
anthropology
$ 90
Small-Batch-Inaglios, which look directly from the 18th century, makes a statuette. You can choose from a variety of classically inspired motifs, and some different colors are also available. I grabbed the three graces in a peach frame to match my bedroom walls, but the blue, as shown here, is absolutely breathtaking. These also come in beautiful boxes, so they are ready to give.
Buy now
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Vintage-Gips-Cameo-style-style style Vintage-Gips-Cameo-style-style style
Etsy
$ 28
If you want to try this trend with one side, this Etsy provider can make this possible with this vintage cameo that is framed in gold. You can't really exceed the price of this one, although it is difficult to say how old the piece is actually.
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Birch lane traditional people wall decoration, 2 Birch lane traditional people wall decoration, 2
Wayfair
$ 55 (was 65 US dollars)
Wayfair has entered the portrait medal campaign with this sentence of two pieces of resin. You can hang them up or try to assemble and/or to ask if you want to dress them a little.
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Decorative plates with Inaglio Decorative plates with Inaglio
Etsy
$ 32
The seller Otteoatelier specializes in the production of Intaglio plates. Choose from a variety of colors, sizes and designs. The costs are quite appropriate and shipping is free.
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Valentina Inaglio Art Valentina Inaglio Art
Ballard designs
$ 149 (War 199 US dollars)
Do you want to go a heady solution that is ready? Ballard Designs has a beautifully framed piece with two small intaglios with a dramatic gold-related mat.
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